The Political Scene | The New Yorker From In the Dark: “Blood Relatives,” an investigative series
Oct 31, 2025
Heidi Blake, a New Yorker staff writer and investigative journalist, delves into the chilling Whitehouse Farm murders, where five family members were killed in 1985. She uncovers how the seemingly perfect Bamber family image masks deep-rooted issues, including mental health struggles and complex relationships. The podcast explores police investigations, initial assumptions of filicide-suicide, and how new evidence led to a renewed focus on the case. Blake’s gripping narration reveals that not everything is as it seems in this tragic story.
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Inside The Bamber Family Home
- Neville and June Bamber adopted Sheila and Jeremy and raised them in Whitehouse Farm's genteel setting.
- Barbara Wilson worked in Neville's office and later witnessed family tensions and psychiatric struggles firsthand.
Intergenerational Mental-Health Strain
- June's lifelong infertility and mental-health decline cast a long shadow over Sheila's upbringing and sense of belonging.
- Sheila later developed paranoid schizophrenia, cycling through treatment and medication noncompliance that worsened her condition.
Sheila's Traumas And The Twins
- Sheila had miscarriages, a stillbirth, and eventually gave birth to twins, Nicholas and Daniel, who became central to family dynamics.
- Neville arranged psychiatric care when Sheila feared she might hurt the boys, and Barbara helped pay hospital bills.